Although Hamilton’s poor start to his Ferrari tenure was a source of considerable disappointment for vast swathes of British F1 fans, it perhaps didn’t come as a major surprise. The former Mercedes star hasn’t won the Drivers’ Championship since 2021, when he completed a remarkable sequence of five consecutive titles. A lowly sixth-placed finish in 2022 was followed up by a notably stronger performance the following year, but nobody in the field could get close to the relentless Red Bull pairing of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez.
The 2024 campaign brought further inconsistency, as he ended his lengthy affiliation with the Silver Arrows in underwhelming fashion. There had been plenty of reason for cheer during the middle portion of that season, as Hamilton earned a record-breaking ninth British Grand Prix triumph following a 31-month spell without a race victory. He then secured the 200th podium of his highly decorated career by clinching third place in the Hungarian Grand Prix, before crossing the line first at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps seven days later. However, his form dipped once again as the winter approached, leaving him miles off the pace in the championship standings.
Despite the challenges he’s experienced over the past few years, Hamilton is undoubtedly still capable of launching a credible title bid. Any driver who has celebrated over 100 race wins, accrued more than 5,000 points, and registered 68 fastest laps simply can’t be written off, even if he faces the unenviable task of counteracting the efforts of a fresh crop of ultra-talented youngsters. Furthermore, the presence of some fairly radical regulatory changes could serve as a leveller, with every racer and their respective engineering teams having to address a raft of structural and mechanical updates that will materially alter the way each car handles.
So, how will Hamilton fare this term? In order to provide an informed answer to that question, we must first take a closer look at his performances last season…
Early indications
Even though his headline-grabbing switch to Ferrari was announced over a year prior to the 2025 Australian Grand Prix, the sight of Lewis Hamilton in the famous red overalls was certainly an odd spectacle to a packed audience at Melbourne Park. Perhaps the Hertfordshire-born superstar was also finding it difficult to acclimatise to his new apparel, as he proceeded to labour to a P10 finish in an unconvincing debut outing.
A chaotic opening race brought multiple collisions, several safety cars, and plenty of exhilarating one-on-one battles, but the four-time FIA Personality of the Year managed to stay clear of most of this drama. However, less than a quarter of the way into the race, the first signs of what would be an eternal struggle with his SF-25 began to surface. Hamilton bemoaned a lack of ‘driveability’ to his aides back in the pit, as he wrestled with his car throughout the opening laps.
It would later be revealed that Ferrari’s 2025 challenger had several key structural problems, not least its capacity to deliver even a reasonable standard of aerodynamic performance. In order to effectively utilise airflow, Ferrari needed to run the SF-25 so close to the ground that it risked sustaining excessive wear, an issue that would lead to automatic disqualification if the car’s plank width reduced by more than 1mm throughout the duration of the race. For that reason, Scuderia engineers constantly walked an unforgiving tightrope. Raise the car higher above the track and sacrifice some speed, or reduce the gap to the track and gamble on remaining within wearing limits.
Despite the inefficiencies of his vehicle, Hamilton would ultimately be undone – alongside his new colleague Charles Leclerc – by Ferrari’s tyre strategy. Misjudging the timing and impact of a late downpour, Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur instructed his drivers to retain slicks for far too long, rather than changing to intermediates as the wet weather intensified. As a result, the Prancing Horse duo concluded the race in two of the last three points-paying positions, leaving Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Hamilton’s former teammate George Russell to take the plaudits on the podium.
The SF-25’s main design fault then reared its ugly head in Shanghai, as Hamilton was disqualified in the aftermath of the Chinese Grand Prix for excessive plank wear. To rub further salt in the wound, Leclerc – who had concluded the race one position higher than his British teammate in fifth – was also eliminated for breaching car weight limits. Hardly a dream start to the season for Ferrari…
Solid if not spectacular
A welcome period of consistency followed Hamilton’s woes in Australia and China, although he would have preferred a steady stream of podium appearances rather than the extended run of lower top-ten finishes that came.
The legendary racer secured a handful of points at eleven consecutive grands prix, as he hung onto the coattails of the chasing pack in the driver’s championship standings. Hamilton managed to get within touching distance of the podium at Imola, finishing fourth on the track considered to be Ferrari’s spiritual home. He then replicated this feat at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone, having previously accumulated an additional six points in Miami thanks to an inspired performance in the sprint race.
From bad to worse
However, this modest momentum began to subside in the wake of an exasperating weekend in Mogyoród, as Hamilton concluded the Hungarian Grand Prix without a point to his name.
Having been unable to progress beyond the second round of qualifying, Hamilton commenced proceedings from the P12 grid slot. The 41-year-old navigated the opening half of the race reasonably well, but subsequently lost his impetus following an altercation with defending champion Max Verstappen. As he landed a daring overtake down the inside of his rival on Turn 4, the Red Bull ace pushed Hamilton wide towards the gravel. Verstappen was later cleared of any wrongdoing following a post-race investigation. With his frustration building into an all too familiar crescendo, Hamilton was later lapped by the battling McLaren duo as Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri exchanged blows until the bitter end.
Less than a month after those testing couple of days at the Hungaroring, Hamilton suffered an early retirement at the Dutch Grand Prix. The Ferrari newcomer approached Hugenholtzbocht at too wide an angle on lap 23, resulting in him crashing into the barriers beyond. Charles Leclerc would ironically meet a similar fate at the same turn a little while later, after Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes clipped the Monégasque’s rear-left tyre to send him spiralling off the track. Both Ferrari representatives were forced to withdraw, ensuring the Maranello-based outfit would leave the Netherlands empty-handed.
However, Hamilton would incur yet another setback while processing his early exit in Zandvoort, receiving a five-place grid penalty for the following weekend’s Italian Grand Prix due to a speed transgression at the final corner of a pre-race reconnaissance lap. This ultimately undermined his chances of claiming a podium finish as he made his debut appearance for Ferrari at Monza, but the boisterous Tifosi support would have likely been impressed with his recovery from P10 on the grid to P6 at the chequered flag.
Further mediocrity
Hamilton would record an eighth-place finish in three of the next four races, picking up exactly four points in Azerbaijan, Singapore, and Mexico. The British speedster was unlucky not to acquire an extra couple of points at the Singapore Grand Prix, after it was adjudged he drifted outside the track’s limits en route to crossing the line in seventh. His positive display at Marina Bay also procured a fastest lap award, thanks to a record-breaking tour of the famous street circuit.
A week before featuring at the 25th edition of the Mexican Grand Prix, Hamilton narrowly missed out on the podium at the Circuit of the Americas on two occasions in quick succession. After moving from eighth to fourth during the 19-lap sprint race just over 24 hours earlier, he achieved the same finishing position in the main event as Ferrari clinched P3 (Leclerc) and P4 in Texas.
A concerning end to the campaign
Despite having already endured a series of painful episodes, worse was yet to come.
A second retirement of the season arrived in São Paulo, compelling Hamilton to declare that there was simply ‘no fix’ for the SF-25’s seemingly extensive list of flaws. Having started in P13 after yet another below-par qualifying session, the beleaguered veteran was involved in two collisions within the opening moments of the Brazilian Grand Prix. Carlos Sainz initially made contact as he emerged from the pit lane before Franco Colapinto's Alpine A525 proved to be an unavoidable obstacle, with both incidents leaving their mark on the much-maligned Ferrari chassis. A lengthy pit stop was required as Frédéric Vasseur’s technical team replaced a battered front wing and attempted to repair the damage to the floor, but the writing was on the wall.
With the aerodynamics of his vehicle even more temperamental than usual, Hamilton began to complain of issues with downforce and a lack of rear stability. By lap 37, he had no option but to retire. It was yet another cruel blow for Ferrari, who incurred a second double-DNF in quick succession after Oscar Piastri barged Kimi Antonelli into Charles Leclerc, causing an irreparable tyre fault.
In a fitting end to a wretched year, Hamilton failed to advance past the first qualifying round in each of the season’s final three races. This figure increases to four if you include the sprint meeting in Qatar, which saw the former world champion start in the pit lane after Maranello engineers made adjustments to his car under parc fermé conditions. A day later, Hamilton could only muster a 12th-place finish despite the premature exits of four competitors, rendering him outside the points-paying positions for a fourth time in the space of four months.
Hamilton’s comments following the curtain-closer in Abu Dhabi highlighted the emotional toll of his nightmare debut campaign, with the two-time BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award winner suggesting he would keep a very low profile throughout the close season. This strategy seems to have paid dividends, as Hamilton seems refreshed, re-energised, and ready to take on the challenge of landing a record-breaking eighth F1 title.
2026 Regulations
A raft of new technical regulations create an interesting dynamic heading into the 2026 campaign, as all eleven teams (Cadillac were onboarded this season following a decade with a ten-team grid) seek to digest, address, and subsequently exploit the FIA’s updated guidelines.
Those who can optimise the functionality of their electrical energy management systems will ultimately reap the biggest rewards, as there are now several tools to harness the effective usage of this alternative power source. A reduction to the minimum size and weight of vehicles should facilitate improved handling and therefore create more opportunities for wheel-to-wheel racing, while the end of the ‘ground-effect’ era signals a return to the aerodynamic concepts of the ‘flat-floor’ design.
Drivers are expected to experience around a 40% reduction in drag as a result of architectural alterations, making cornering more challenging but assisting drivers on straight portions of the track. However, the absence of venturi tunnels – a set of narrow airflow structures that were a salient aspect of ground-effect cars – will significantly reduce the volume of downforce a driver can generate. Consequently, this is likely to have a negative impact on overall race speeds.
We take a more detailed look at several of the key regulatory updates below, while citing how these developments could support Hamilton’s endeavours this term.
Hybrid engines
One of the sharpest illustrations of the FIA’s increased focus on electrical energy is the composition of the latest hybrid engines. The balance in power outputs between the internal combustion element and the kinetic generator unit (MGU-K) is almost equal, a set-up that would seem almost entirely implausible just a few short years ago. The 1.6L V6 turbo-charged ‘traditional’ engine generates around 536 brake horsepower, while the new MGU-K can deliver approximately 350KW of energy, a colossal 300% uplift on the power produced by the previous MGU-H (motor generated unit – heat) system.
Although the MGU-H is substantially less powerful than its successor, it did enable drivers to minimise the presence of turbo lag. This is because the system conserved energy in quieter stretches of the race, when drivers were not pushing their foot to the floor. As a result, turbos were ‘spooled’ up in preparation for key moments, so there was no delay in response from the engine as the accelerator was pressed down. The MGU-K doesn’t harvest energy with the same level of efficiency, making turbo lag – which is particularly prevalent at the start of races and when drivers look to quickly exit corners – a greater risk this year. To combat the potential difficulties cars may face on the grid, the FIA recently trialled a five-second pause before the lights-out sequence during last month’s pre-season testing sessions in Bahrain. This delay is designed to give cars time to spool up turbos before moving to full throttle.
By integrating a smaller turbocharger into their V6 power unit, it’s believed Ferrari have identified a way to generate spools more quickly. This could offer Hamilton a distinct advantage over his rivals, as increased turbo capacity should facilitate faster starts and complement his aggressive cornering technique.
Active aerodynamics
The phrase ‘active aerodynamics’ will frequently be heard throughout the opening exchanges of the 2026 season, as constructors gain a new lease of life with regard to the designs of their front and rear wings.
Cars are now permitted to have active wings throughout the entirety of the race, with all drivers set to benefit from this development. Both front and rear wings can be opened in designated zones throughout straight stretches of the track, increasing baseline speed without having to dip into electrical energy reserves. They will then close for corners to initiate greater drag, helping the driver to gain more control when entering and exiting bends.
Ferrari seem intent on exploiting this opportunity, having engineered an innovative design that enables the entire rear wing to flip fully upside down.
Overtake mode
After 15 years in circulation, the DRS (drag reduction system) has been replaced by the newly fashioned ‘overtake mode.’
There are a couple of clear differences between these two systems, although both are fundamentally concerned with assisting overtaking manoeuvres. While pushing the DRS button increased speed by engaging a flap on the vehicle’s rear wing, the overtake mode conspires with the Energy Recovery System (ERS) to provide additional pace. As it dips into a live electrical energy source, drivers can decide whether to use this benefit incrementally or in one prolonged action. The longer a driver spends in overtake mode, the more time they’ll have to wait for energy reserves to subsequently replenish. Therefore, there’s a real tactical element to its deployment.
In similarity to its predecessor, the overtake mode can be deployed when a driver is within one second of the car in front. However, in contrast to the previous DRS regulations, drivers do not need to wait until they arrive in a designated zone to engage this feature. As a consequence, we should see increased overtaking activity this season, although drivers will need to counteract their desire to move through the field with a calculated approach to ERS-assisted electrical energy usage.
Any development that requires a high level of driver intelligence is surely advantageous to Lewis Hamilton, who will be looking to leverage the full extent of his in-race expertise to get the most out of the new overtake mode function.
Tyres
Although wheels are set to remain at 18 inches, the narrowing of tyres at the front (by 25mm) and rear (by 30mm) will undoubtedly influence proceedings. The condensed diameter of the tyre causes a drop off in drag, albeit with less disruption to the pace of the vehicle than the aforementioned aerodynamic changes. This smaller surface area also means there is ultimately a reduced amount of contact between tyre and track, so maintaining an optimal level of grip will be harder to achieve.
However, it’s impossible at this stage to know exactly how these smaller-sized tyres will perform in varying conditions, as track temperatures, circuit locations, inclement weather, and the volume of laps in any given race are likely to affect their efficiency. The adaptability of the driver plays a key role here, as those capable of reacting to the evolving condition of their tyres will be equipped to deliver the best results.
Having navigated an array of challenging situations throughout his career, Hamilton understands the importance of being able to adapt to his surroundings. This should stand him in good stead to handle this ambiguity, as we await to find out how the narrower tyres will respond to differing environments and terrains.
The verdict
With the rampaging Lando Norris, a vengeful Max Verstappen, and an ever-improving Oscar Piastri all eager to secure silverware this season, Lewis Hamilton will have his work cut out if he wants to return to the top of the podium.
There will undoubtedly be pressure from above on Hamilton to produce the goods. Last year, Ferrari endured their worst season since 2020, when Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel accumulated just 131 points throughout the COVID-impacted campaign. A repeat performance is almost unthinkable.
However, the revered racer is no stranger to adversity, having experienced plenty of tough moments both on and off the track since bursting onto the scene almost two decades ago. You might get long odds on Hamilton becoming a world champion for the eighth time, but you would be foolish to bet against him achieving this miraculous feat...
FAQs – Can Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton conquer the new F1 regulations?
1. When did Lewis Hamilton win the latest of his seven world titles?
Hamilton won his most recent world title in 2021, while representing previous employers Mercedes.
2. How did Lewis Hamilton perform in his debut season with Ferrari?
Hamilton endured a difficult first campaign with the Maranello-based outfit, finishing sixth in the drivers’ championship after amassing just 156 points.
3. Who are Lewis Hamilton’s main rivals this season?
After winning the drivers’ championship in sensational style last term, many believe 26-year-old Lando Norris will retain his title this year. His McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri also poses a threat, while Max Verstappen won four consecutive F1 crowns in the immediate seasons preceding 2025.
4. How will the regulation changes impact the 2026 season?
Given the breadth and scope of this year’s regulatory updates, they’ll likely have a fundamental influence on the new F1 season. The increased focus on effective use of electrical energy functions, changes in front and rear wing deployments, the reduction in size of tyres, and the replacement of DRS with the ‘overtake’ mode are set to make a significant difference to how drivers approach races.
5. Will this be Lewis Hamilton’s last season in F1?
Despite celebrating his 41st birthday at the beginning of this year, Hamilton is not set to retire for the foreseeable future. The talented veteran has already discussed the prospect of signing a new contract with Ferrari, although both parties will be primarily focused on delivering improved performance this year before considering any future deals.